On November 20th, 2010 at 2:00pm in Tompkins Square Park, over 200 cyclists will gather to begin the twelfth annual Cranksgiving, a charitable ‘alleycat’ bicycle street ride. In Cranksgiving, riders race around Manhattan purchasing Thanksgiving dinner ingredients at designated grocery stores, arriving at the finish line with a bag full of food to be donated to various charities.

Cranksgiving is a race, but riders of all abilities and stripes come out to participate in the fun! Bring a bag, some money, and a good lock, as this year’s prizes include messenger bags from Bailey Works, MER, Seagull and Chrome, $150 gift certificates for 5.10 shoes, A Torker Cargo T bike donated by Brooklyn Bike and Board, as well as 3 $100 gift certificates courtesy of the Gilt group, to be redeemed at Gilt.com.

This year’s race features unparalleled opportunities to donate, even before the ride! Tiny’s Sandwich Shop (129 Rivington Street) is offering up to $6 off of their delicious sandwiches when you donate $25 and over at the store. Also, inn conjunction with the race, Hipstamatic is donating $1 to Cranksgiving for every photo uploaded tohttp://community.hipstamatic.com/contests/24 . Finally, if you can’t make the ride or get to any of the donation locations, go to www.cranksgiving.org to pledge to the Cranksgiving fund, benefiting City Harvest and the New York Bicycle Messenger Foundation.

Last year’s Cranksgiving helped feed over 100 families through Saint Mary’s soup kitchen on the Lower East Side, City Harvest and the New York Bike Messenger Foundation. This year, as more and more people find themselves in desperate times, Cranksgiving hopes to step it up and smash all previous records.To more learn more about Cranksgiving, visit http://www.cranksgiving.org“